Heartbroken
by llamaglamasama
Summary: Conan is deeply hurt when his lover disappears for almost ten years without a single explanation. When Kaito returns, he has a wife and two children, wounding Conan even more. But something more seems to be going on with the "happy family". But...what?
1. Introductions

**Disclaimer: Do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. Never will.**

It started slowly at first, just a few coincidental meetings under the moonlight, until those meetings became less and less accidental. With two people very capable of pulling the strings on either side, they tended to meet whenever they wanted…

They started to become more serious, taking more risks to see each other. They knew it was wrong, but they didn't care. For the first time, they were happy and content with what life had to offer. They weren't perfect, not by any means, but they did okay for themselves. They didn't have to hide from each other, and that was more than they could say for anyone else. It was going great, until **they** found out.

Pain shot up from his chest, spreading to his fingertips as he screamed. A shrill laugh echoed in his ears, full of amusement at his predicament. And then he heard them, the whispered words that destroyed his life. "We'll kill him."

--

A shrill beeping sound echoed around the small room before being abruptly cut off by a large fluffy pillow. A man with wild brown hair groaned and stifled a yawn, fumbling for his alarm clock. The red digits blinked 5:00, too damn early in his opinion. He yawned and stretched, allowing the baby blue sheets to flutter down to his waist. He dragged himself off the twin bed and into a small adjacent bathroom. Splashing water on his face, he began to wake up fully. There were some major disadvantages to his job and the schedule was definitely one of the top ones. Waking up at 5, reporting in at 6, and sometimes not going off duty until well after midnight; it was certainly very grating at times.

The man threw on a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt and ran a comb through wild hair. It didn't do much, but it was the thought that counted. He sighed, grabbed a bread roll and exited his small apartment. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and swung them around his finger. Slidding into the driver's seat of his ocean blue Cadillac, he shifted into gear and drove a few dozen minutes before turning into the parking lot of a large building. He parked and exited the car, entering the building, flashing his ID to the guard at the door. He walked in, strolling down the long, tiled hallway until he came to a brown door titled 'RESISTANCE'. He pushed it open and looked at the group of people gathered there.

"Rather early, isn't it?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at the girl closest to him.

"Good morning to you too, sir," She muttered, tossing her braided black hair over her shoulder.

The man laughed and took a seat next to her. "Reports?" He asked.

"We received a message from our man on the inside." Another man with a short blonde crew cut passed him a manila folder.

"Summarize." He ordered.

"They're planning to do something in Tokyo, Japan, but the details are sketchy. We know they're going to make a move, we just don't know what it is." A woman with long red hair tied back in a bun said.

"In that case, we need to figure it out. Make discreet inquires to anyone you find suspicious. In the main time, we need to counteract whatever they do. Three of us will go to Tokyo, assume an appropriate cover, and report back. Any volunteers?"

"How about you, seeing as you're familiar with the area?" The redhead suggested.

The man frowned. "Fine, who else?"

The group grinned and lunged into planning.

--

18-year-old Edogawa Conan smiled to his friends as he ducked into 2-22 Beika-cho. The house had once belonged to the kindly professor, but the man had died three years previously and had left his house and all his possessions to his young charge, Haibara Ai. Haibara had allowed Conan to continue sharing the house with her as he had been since Ran had gone off to college.

"Haibara? You awake?" He called. The girl had stayed home from school today on account of a small cold.

"In the kitchen," A faint voice called. "I've made curry. You want some?"

"Sure." Conan dumped his backpack in a chair and joined her in the kitchen. "Enjoy your day off?"

She smirked. "I take it school was anything but pleasant."

He groaned. "They want us to write an essay on what 'love' is." He scoffed and took a large bite off the curry.

Haibara raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. And are you planning on actually doing this assignment or will you be blowing it off as usual?"

"'As usual'? I don't blow stuff off that often, just when we get some stupid thing like this." Conan muttered. He shoveled the rest of his meal into his mouth and headed up the stairs. "I'll be in my room. Call me if you start feeling bad."

Conan flopped down on his bed. He could tell Ai was worried about him, but what was he supposed to do about it? He couldn't help it if he was different from the carefree teenager he'd been the first time around. How could he be? After that…

He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. He didn't want to remember that. It hurt too much. It had been ten freaking years and it still hurt. Gods, he was pathetic.

"Conan-kun?" Ai called. She'd stopped calling him Kudo once they realized there wouldn't be a cure. Kudo Shinichi had been officially dead for a long time now. Hattori had also stopped calling him Kudo, but that had taken more extreme methods, i.e. kicking his ass with power shoes if he forgot.

"What?" He asked, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Nakamori-san invited the Shonen Tantei to accompany her to the airport to pick up Hakuba-san. He's coming in on the afternoon flight."

Conan sighed. "What about Heiji and Ran?"

"How should I know? I think Mouri-chan mentioned that they'd be spending the evening together. They finally have a day off at the same time, after all." Haibara stated.

Conan smiled. It sort of reminded him of Takagi and Satou from when he was Conan-the-innocent-but-intelligent-kid. When Hattori was about twenty, he'd fallen out of love with Toyama and actually asked Conan for permission to date Ran. He'd allowed it, of course. After all, he really looked to Ran as more of a sister, especially since _him_. Besides, Shinichi wasn't coming back, so she may as well move on to the next detective freak.

"Alright." He said. He'd have to pull him together first, though. If it was apparent he'd been thinking about _him_ again when he went out there, Ai would chew him out…again. Conan had to smile at that, though. Ai had really done a lot for him over the years. She stuck by him and supported him, even when he'd been acting like a total jackass. Sorta like he'd been for the last ten years, actually, though those initial months were the worst. Still, between Ai and Heiji, he's been pulled out of his depression lump.

--

Aoko sighed and rubbed her eyes. Jeez, she was tired. She wished the bloody plane would land already so that she could go home. Behind her, a group of five teenagers munched on a few snacks as they waited for the plane to disembark.

"Wow," One of them grumbled, "How freaking long does it take. We've been waiting for _ages_." He whined.

"Shut up, Genta." A freckled boy mumbled, jabbing the fatter teen in the gut. "It's not like there's anything we can do about it."

"Mitsuhiko, Genta, calm down!" A young, black haired girl chided. "Aoko-neechan, can you shut them up?"

Aoko giggled. "Sorry, Ayumi-chan. There's nothing I can do. Maybe –"

She was cut off by an announcement declaring the landing of a flight from London, England to Tokyo, Japan. Aoko's smiled widened. When a young man with blonde hair wearing an Inverness coat approached them, she grinned and called out to him.

"Hakuba-kun!" She shouted, enveloping him in a hug as soon as he was close enough. "How was England?"

He smiled down at her. "It was fun. The Metropolitan agreed that I could remain here, working with the Tokyo police."

"Good." Aoko laughed.

"Yes, though the plane ride was rather…irritating."

"How so?"

"A family sitting somewhere behind me had a small child with them. He wasn't happy." Hakuba frowned. Aoko giggled.

"We should head home, it's getting late." A teen with glasses said.

"Yeah, alright," The group of seven started making their way out of the airport when Conan suddenly stopped.

"Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked, looking at him in concern. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, I – " He swallowed, "I just thought I recognized someone, that's all."

"Really? Who?" She asked. Conan didn't respond, deep in thought. Ai glanced back at him, worried.

--

Departing the plane with his family in tow, Kuroba Kaito rolled his shoulders, relieving the kinks sitting still for so long had caused. He was an energetic person by nature and not moving just didn't agree with him.

His seat mates seemed relieved to be off the plane as well, though that may have had something to do with the fact that a certain young infant had been expressing his discontent rather loudly.

"How's Yuuichi?" He asked cheerfully. The infant grinned at him but the mother glared.

"If you hadn't encouraged him every time he started whining, we would have been able to sleep on the plane, you know." She growled, rocking the baby in her arms.

"Meh, that was what all the coffee beforehand was for." He laughed.

"Jeez, Dad, no wonder you were so twitchy the whole ride." A boy who looked remarkably like Kaito sighed.

"Better than being tired and grouchy." Kaito teased. "Anyway, we're going to meet my Mom and her house and stay there the night. We'll look for a place to live tomorrow."

"You _did_ phone ahead, I hope?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Mom knows the whole situation and is happy to help us out." They fetched their luggage before flagging down a taxi.

A twenty minute ride later and Kaito was standing outside his old home, nursing a considerably lighter wallet. "Well, let's go." He smiled, taking his son's hand and dragging him and their bags inside, his wife following after.

--

Rising slowly from bed, Aoko yawned and smiled sleepily at the slumbering form of her boyfriend. When the relationship had first begun, her father had accepted the boy well enough, but he'd blown a gasket when he learned that they planned to live together. And worse…share a bed.

That was four years ago and, by now, he'd given up fighting it. Kids will be kids, after all. And his kid was extraordinarily stubborn.

"Morning, Saguru." She chimed, shaking his shoulders. Usually the blonde was the first to rise, but, after reaching their apartment last night, he'd been determined to finish this last little bit of paperwork. "C'mon, we've got a brunch date with the others. Kuroba-baachan is even coming!" His hazel eyes blinked open drowsily.

"Alright, alright, 'm up." He stretched and slipped out of bed, going about his morning routine, but not before giving his girlfriend a soft kiss.

Half an hour later, the two were out the door and on the way to the park. "Why," Hakuba asked, "are we having a picnic style brunch?"

"Because we're expecting a lot of people. Kuroba-baachan said she was bringing a few guests and the others are all coming, so…" Aoko smiled. "Don't worry, though. I made extra food."

They arrived at the park to see a group already forming. "Ran-chan!" Aoko called, passing the food basket to Saguru so that she could hug her friend. "How was your day off, yesterday? Did you and Hattori-kun have fun?" She asked, grinning widely at the color that flushed Ran's face.

"I-I…w-we had dinner at a really nice restaurant." She smiled happily. Heiji blushed when Hakuba raised an eyebrow at him.

"My, it seems Hattori-kun was awfully considerate." He smirked.

"Aw, shut it. Oh, hey, there's Kuroba-san!" He waved at the group of five that approached them. Conan looked up from his discussion with Ai and stared, eyes wide. Ai looked as well and her eyes narrowed.

The two "kids" weren't the only ones to recognize one of the unfamiliar figures. "K-Kaito?" Aoko gasped. Said magician smiled weakly as they got closer.

"Um, hi, Aoko." His eyes traveled over the assembled group and froze on a particular form. "It's been a while, ne?"

"Indeed." Hakuba said, hand clasping Aoko's. "Who are your friends?"

"Well, I'm sure you know my mom from what she told us. This is Katrine, my wife, and Toichi and Yuuichi, my sons." The redheaded woman bowed politely, clutching a bundle to her chest. The boy with them bobbed his head, grinning.

Aoko's eyes widened. "So you finally did settle down! You should've invited us to the wedding!" She scowled at him. "Anyway, I'm Nakamori Aoko, pleased to meet you."

"Hakuba Saguru, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Mouri Ran, hi."

"Yo, Hattori Heiji."

"Haibara Ai."

"Edogawa Conan."

Toichi smiled brightly at the last two. They were at least eight years older than him, but they weren't as old as the rest. He choose to sit next to them as everyone settled down.

"So, Kuroba-kun, where have you been?" Hakuba asked. He looked a little upset that the magician was sitting right next to Aoko, but made no comment on the subject.

"Here and there. 'Been living in London for the past six or so years." Saguru looked shell-shocked.

"Really?" Aoko chattered. "What have you been doing for a living?"

"Um, security consultant, actually." He eyed the blonde detective. "You okay there, 'Kuba-kun? You look a bit peaky."

"I'm…fine." The idea of Kaitou Kid guarding valuable objects in his home country... He shivered.

"So, what about everyone here?" Kaito asked, eyes straying over the others again.

"Well, Saguru and I are going out." Aoko beamed. "We're working for Division One in the Metropolitan. Hattori-kun is also working with us and he's going out with Ran-chan, who's working to become a lawyer like her mom. You've heard of Kisaki Eri, right?" She motioned to the pair as she spoke.

"Sure. Queen of the Courtroom, right? Good luck, Mouri-chan."

"Um, Conan-kun and Ai-chan are part of a detective group with a few other kids their age. They work pretty closely with the police, so we all know each other pretty well."

"Really? That's pretty impressive." He didn't turn to look at the ones he was talking about. "Well, Katrine is also a lawyer, used to work in Paris. 'Fraid the boys are a little young for anything, though Toichi does have an interest in magic."

"Oh yeah? Ne, can you show us a trick?" She asked the boy.

He smirked Kid's smirk and snapped his fingers. Rose petals fell over the group, causing the girls to gasp.

Ran clapped for the boy, smiling softly. "You look so much like Conan-kun when he was younger. How old are you?"

"Ten." He chirped. "But I've never worn glasses…they look really big." Conan looked vaguely offended.

The picnic continued on friendly terms, though Heiji and Ai noticed that Conan glared at Kuroba the whole time and that Kaito kept his eyes determinedly away from Conan's general area.

As they began to depart, Hattori pulled Conan to the side. "Ne, Conan, was he the one who – ?" Conan growled and didn't reply, but Haibara came over and answered.

"Yep, that's the asshole who randomly vanished a decade ago, leaving Conan in the dirt." She said, venom evident in her voice. Now it was Heiji's turn to growl.

Conan huffed and marched off. "C'mon, we're supposed to meet Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi soon." Ai sighed and followed the boy, glancing over her shoulders at the magician. She was surprised to see that he was gazing after the young detective, a sorrowful expression of his face.

--

**Okay, so I'm starting yet another multi-chapter fic. Hopefully it will go well and I'll remember to update. Reviews will help with that. XD**


	2. Depression

Haibara Ai made a point of staying close to Conan for the rest of the day, even when her actions brought a trace of annoyance to her boyfriend's features. Mitsuhiko knew Conan and she were close, even if he didn't like it. Besides, as the day went on and Conan appeared to be extremely depressed, he put aside his resentment and joined the others in their concern for Conan.

Conan fended off their questionings easily, but none of them failed to notice the way his sharp eyes narrowed in pain. Ai, for one, was furious. Conan had gone through a lot ten years ago and he'd finally moved on with his life, putting the pain and anger behind him, and now that asshole had ruined it all by coming back, with a wife and kids, no less!

Conan worried her. Over the years, he'd become extremely good at hiding his pain. For it to show out in the open now…just how much could that man hurt him?

--

"For the last time, I'm perfectly fine, Haibara." Conan snapped, surprising Ai with the use of her assumed surname. They hadn't been on last name terms for years.

"Well, obviously not, but judging from your actions, you're too stupid to ask for help!" Ai retorted coldly.

"Screw you!" Conan marched off, slamming doors behind him.

"A-Ai-chan?" A soft voice inquired. Ai spun around to see the cowering visage of Mouri Ran in the doorway of the kitchen, Hattori Heiji standing behind her.

"What was that about?" Heiji demanded. "I haven't seen Conan that angry since…" Since ten years ago when he'd asked what had made Conan so depressed, but he wasn't going to bring that up again.

"I know." Ai frowned. "He's been on edge all day, snapping at people when he's not too depressed to notice they exist."

"But why?" Ran asked, stricken. "I thought he'd gotten over whatever happened before. Surely it hasn't happened again?"

"Not again." Ai murmured. "Just more of the original."

Ran's forehead creased, confused, but Heiji turned to her and told her that she should probably head on home. "Fine. On one condition: you figure out what's bothering Conan-kun and fix it, okay?" She requested, tearfully.

"'Course. Don' worry, Hattori Heiji'll figure out what's up with the squirt." He grinned cockily. Satisfied, Ran left, closing the door softly behind her.

When she was gone, the smirk slid from his face immediately. "Did that Kuroba guy do something?" Heiji demanded.

Ai shook her head. "I think it's just his being here after so long. And…"

"And with a wife and kids, dammit. How could that bastard do this to Conan!?" He sighed. "I wasn't here last time when Conan fell into depression, but I'm here now and I'm damn well gonna make sure he recovers."

"Of course." Ai smiled slightly.

--

Kuroba Hikaru knocked gently on the guestroom door that had originally been her son's old room. Her boy and his 'wife' – she'd have to talk to them about that. He'd better have a good excuse as to why she was never informed of the wedding _or_ the children's births. After all, a grandmother deserves to know she's one – were living in the room for the moment, their kids in the original guest bedroom. She stepped inside when permission was given. "I hope you're settling in well?" She asked, glancing over the strewn suitcases and various shirts that somehow managed to litter the room within a day of Kaito's moving in.

"Oh yes, thank you. It was a wonderful lunch, by the way." Katrine smiled peacefully at her. "Although, I have to say, I was a little surprised at the amount of police officers Kaito was acquainted with. On the other hand, perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised." Her smile turned mysterious at that.

Hikaru gazed piercingly at her for a long moment before nodding slightly. "He told you about his – ah – night job, so to speak. Understandable, I suppose."

"Quite so. I've known for rather a long time."

"Really? Ah, might I ask…how long have you two been married? After all, your oldest son is ten, but Kaito only left home ten years ago…"

"Ah. If that's occurred to you, then I'm sure it's occurred to others. Let's just say that it's a…complicated situation."

"How so?" Hikaru asked, eyes narrowed.

At that moment, Kaito and Toichi walked into the room, the older of the two pausing to kiss his mother on the cheek. "What's up?"

"Ah, nothing." Katrine smiled. "You put Yuuichi to bed?"

"Yup. He's sleeping like a – heh – baby." Everyone else rolled their eyes and the subject of Kaito marriage and children was lost.

"So, have you had a chance to look at prospective residences?" Katrine prompted.

"Yeah. There's even a few within our price range," he grinned. "There's a nice apartment complex in Haido and a small house in Saitama. There's a few other places, but we can't really decide until we get a more definite fix on where we need to be."

Hikaru blinked. Her son had told her why he was here – or at least part of why – but there were still a lot of blanks that needed filled for her to get the big picture. Oh well. "You're welcome to stay here as long as needed."

"Thanks, Mom. Hopefully we won't impose for long."

"Oh, it's no problem." She smiled.

"No problem now." Toichi muttered, "but you've never witnessed the destruction a fight between these two gives way to." At matching glares from his parents, Toichi laughed guiltily and grabbed two of the bags that had been sitting on the floor. "I'll just sort through these, shall I?" He left, nervous chuckles following him out. Hikaru stared after him, nonplussed. What was that supposed to mean? Did they fight often? She certainly hoped not. Even if they did, though, Kaito knew the rules. Any mess made by him would be cleaned up by him, whether he liked it or not.

--

"For god sakes, Heiji, we've been over this. I'm perfectly fine, so quit following me everywhere!" Conan snarled, rounding on the dark-skinned officer.

"Sure ya are. C'mon, Conan, it's not that big of a deal for you to admit it."

"And you stalking me is supposed to help with that?"

"Well, no, not really, but I'm a bit at a loss as for what to do here, so I figured it was as good a starting place as any." Hattori shrugged, leisurely. Ran would probably scold him later for irritating Conan, but really, anger was a better reaction than the lifeless depression he'd been expressing before.

"You – !" Conan reached down purposefully, his fingers clasping on the buttons of his inflate-a-ball-belt that he still wore.

Heiji backpedalled quickly, more familiar than he'd like with that belt and the balls it produced. He raised his hands in an appeasing gesture, "alright, alright, I get it. But look, Ran's really worried about you, okay? And so's Haibara-chan, so maybe you should lay off her a bit, huh? We're only trying to help."

"Well, maybe I don't want you he – eh?" He paused midsentence, staring at something behind Heiji. "Toichi-san?"

The dark haired boy blinked at him. "Oh, Edogawa-san, wasn't it? I didn't expect to run into you here." Here being in the road in front of Tokyo tower. It was a rather strange place for such a loud argument to take place.

"Uh, Conan's fine. What are you doing here?"

"Dad's meeting with someone here. He said something about confidentiality and sent me off," he shrugged. He'd proven he could be trusted multiple times, but a lot of people outside of his dad just didn't feel comfortable talking about sensitive topics when they knew a kid was listening in. Anyway, Dad would tell him anything important later, along with Katrine, so what did it matter?

"Really?" Hattori was staring at him piercingly, which he supposed made sense considering what Dad had said about detectives and their insatiable curiosity, but he was surprised to see Conan staring down at the concrete, eyes dull. "Who's he talking to, anyway?"

"Dunno. Never met them before. Besides, it's not really your business, is it?" He replied, eyes focused on Conan. "Um, Conan-san? Are…do you…how are you connected to 'Tou-san?"

"Eh?" Conan's head snapped up to stare at him with a gaze even more piercing than the one Hattori had trained on him. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, 'Tou-san was acting kind of weird before when his mom mentioned you… It's almost like – " He was cut off sharply by a call for his name in a tone that sounded strangely desperate. He blinked and turned to see the topic of his conversation jogging towards him, a tall man in a business suit following behind at a fair distance. "Oh, are you finished with your meeting, Dad?"

Kaito jerked to a halt in front of him, his eyes dilated almost as if he were panicking, but there were no other signs of such a reaction. Although, knowing his dad, there wouldn't be any signs, would there? "Ah, y-yeah. We actually needed to clarify one thing with you," he chuckled, a nervous little titter that wasn't anything like what Toichi had come to expect from him.

"Okay. Sorry, Conan-san, Hattori-san," he waved, frowning slightly when he noticed the way Kaito turned on his heel immediately without a glance in the direction of the other two. How strange. His father had taught him the importance of manners and being a gentleman, especially when you wanted something, so why would he be so blatantly rude? It just didn't add up.

When Toichi and Kaito reached the business man again, the guy grumbled, wiping his eye glasses on his tie. "Geez, with the way you ran off, I half thought there was a fire."

"Sorry," Kaito bowed low. "Back to business then…"

Odd. Hadn't 'Tou-san said that they'd finished their meeting and just needed to clear something up? Why would he have rushed off like this guy was making it sound like?

--

Heiji blinked. Well, that had been distinctly weird. The conversation and whatnot aside, Kuroba had once again refused to look at Conan, even though the boy was staring directly at him, an almost pleading look in his eye. It hurt, to see Conan so desperate like that. He was Edogawa Conan, boy detective, a child who had a record of solving more cases than most of the police force. He wasn't supposed to have that hurt look on his face or gaze longingly after someone who'd been proven to be a right bastard. That just wasn't how it was supposed to work.

He sighed. "I don't claim to understand what's going on, Conan, but I swear to you…if you want to have a chat with that guy, then I'm gonna make damn sure you get that talk."

Conan laughed humorlessly. "Thanks, Heiji. Looks like he's not going to make it easy for you to keep that promise, though."

"Yeah, I guess not. Can you tell me something, though? Back, ten years ago," Conan winced, "look, I know it's a sore subject, but I think it's kinda important to know, okay? Anyway, back then…how was it that this guy knew about you? I mean, he _did_ know, right?"

"Of course!" Conan sounded affronted. "He's not some pedophile!"

"Just making sure," Heiji laughed, hiding a wince. Conan shouldn't have been that defensive over a guy that broke his heart.

--

"Moshi moshi, Hakuba Saguru speaking."

"Ah, Hakuba? This is Hattori. Uh, you wouldn't happen to know where that Kuroba guy is staying, would you?"

"Not really. Why?"

Hattori swore softly. "Uh, 's nothing really. Just, um, hoping I'd be able to find him. You don't have any idea where he might be staying?"

"Well…he did come to that gathering with his mother, so it's possibly he's either staying with her or that she at least knows where he is."

"Okay, thanks a bunch, Hakuba."

"Hattori?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there something going on? I mean…what would you want with Kuroba-kun? I'm sure you've heard about my suspicions about him being Kid, but Kid hasn't appeared in Tokyo since before Kuroba left and you never really tried to catch Kid very often anyway."

"Ah, no, don't worry. This has nothing to do with Kid. Well, probably. You said Kid vanished just before Kuroba?"

"Yes. Since then, he's appeared all over the world, but almost never in Japan and never in Tokyo."

"Kind of odd, considering Kid stole exclusively there for a long while. Uh, one other thing. How likely is it that Kuroba would figure out something rather strange and just beyond the realm of unbelievable? Er, Kuroba from back before he left, that is."

"I wouldn't really know, Hattori. Kuroba specialized in the unbelievable and, indeed, the impossible. He was no detective, though, as he often iterated for all of us. If whatever you're speaking of was difficult to discover, it's likely he would've had no idea. On the other hand, Kuroba also specialized in surprising people, so maybe he would've. I really don't know, Hattori. Kuroba-kun was quite the phenomenon."

"I see."

"Is there a specific reason for this line of questioning?"

Hattori laughed. "I'll have to get back to you on that as soon as I figure it out. Thanks for your help!" With that, he hung up, leaving Hakuba to stare at his phone in confusion. Some people were so _bizarre_.

--

Heiji contemplated what to do next. What he really wanted to do was find some way to corner Kuroba in order for Conan to have his chance to talk. However, from what he was slowly gleaning from multiple chats with those who had known Kuroba, the magician wasn't one to be cornered. From what one old high school classmate had said, Kuroba had a tendency to vanish in a cloud of smoke when he was cornered. That was the last thing Heiji needed.

Conan would need Kuroba to be, if not welcoming of questions, at least not ready to flee. He also needed to catch him off guard. If Kuroba knew they were coming after him with questions, he'd no doubt make damn sure they never reached him. That just wouldn't do.

Hmm. He pondered over the phone book, plotting silently. To do this right and to ensure that Conan got his chat, he needed to be sure Kuroba was free. Conan wouldn't be too happy if Kuroba had to leave partway through for some appointment, after all. And if he made sure Kuroba's schedule was clear, he wouldn't be able to use that as an excuse, either.

He dialed a number, putting his cell phone to his ear and listening to it ring. After a few moments, the line was picked up. "Kuroba Residence. Katrine speaking. May I help you?"

You know, her Japanese was quite good for a foreigner. "Ah, this is Hattori Heiji. Could I possibly speak to Kuroba Hikaru? Uh, that is your…husband's mother, right?"

"Yes. One moment, please. Hikaru-san?" She called, her voice growing faint as she apparently covered the receiver.

"Hello?" A slightly deeper voice asked a moment later.

"Ah, Kuroba-san? This is Hattori Heiji. I was wondering if you could help me with something. See, I need to arrange it so that a friend of mine, Edogawa Conan, has a chance to speak with your son. I was hoping that you could assist me in finding a suitable time and place."

--

Kaito yawned widely, rummaging around the kitchen for something to help him wake up. His mother had declared him not allowed to drink coffee – something about the caffeine levels and him having enough energy as it was – so he was left with scant other satisfying drinks.

It was rather odd, to be back in this house after so many years, going through a lot of the same daily routine he'd grown up doing. He'd missed this, missed Tokyo, but most of all, missed –

He blinked in confusion when the front door rattled open. His mother had taken Katrine and the boys out for the day, throwing around words like shopping and underwear that had ensured his distance from the whole affair. Unless they were back ridiculously early, who on earth could be entering his house?

Perhaps the retired Nakamori-keibu or Aoko still had keys? But why would they bother when it would make more sense to just ring the doorbell?

He was about to go investigate when two slipper-clad feet entered his line of vision – still rather foggy with sleep – and an eighteen year old Edogawa Conan stood in front of him, fidgeting slightly.

It took his sleep-addled brain a moment to comprehend that fact while his eyes gladly roamed the visage presented before him. Conan had grown up well. Veeeery well, his hormones happily informed him.

He cleared his throat, his brain finally coming to grasps with reality. "Wha – "

"Heiji consorted with your mom to get us time to talk." Conan said slowly. His voice had deepened a great deal, resembling the timbre of Kudo Shinichi's voice as it had once been. He slid off his glasses and looked straight into Kaito's eyes, pain clearly showing on his face even as he tried to hide it.

Kaito winced, ready to make an escape, but somehow…after so long away from his presence, to have only that hurt gaze focused on him…he couldn't do it, couldn't leave like he should.

Should, heck, he shouldn't have even been in Japan, really. He hadn't wanted to come, knew what his presence here would do to both himself and others, but he'd had to, for the sake of their mission.

Still, he hadn't expected to be alone with Conan so soon. It hurt so much to see the pain in those eyes.

He closed his eyes and swallowed. "Okay. Then let's talk," he said, leaning back against the counter. Blue eyes regarded him sharply and he just couldn't find the strength to bring a proper poker face up. A smile wouldn't cut it now, anyway.

"Why did you leave?"

"I can't answer that," Kaito replied, closing his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see the pain and anger that response would bring.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't answer that!? What's stopping you?" Conan snarled, just barely stopping himself from lashing out.

Kaito remained silent, teeth worrying his lower lip. There was nothing he could safely say, nothing that Conan would accept anyway. The truth, no matter what the detective may profess, was too dangerous to be revealed.

He stayed like that, eyes closed and silent with Conan glaring daggers at him for at least a full minute before Conan moved on, recognizing that he wasn't going to get an answer.

"When did you meet Katrine-san?"

"Meet? Um…on one of my first heists, I believe." Conan's face showed no hint of believing him. "Honest. Golden Eye heist. Granted, she went by another name at the time, but that was when I first met her."

"And when did you have a kid?" Now Conan closed his eyes, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Toichi's ten years old, or thereabouts. He'd have to have been born either before you left or just after." He opened his eyes to look into Kaito's again, "it takes nine months to make a baby, Kaito. Nine months that you were still here in Japan, still…"

He trailed off, but Kaito could easily fill the gaps. "I was only with you in that time," he said softly, knowing full well that Conan wouldn't believe him.

"He _is_ your son?" The pain and absolute lack of trust in Conan's voice broke his heart.

"Legally, yes."

"Legally? What do you mean?"

Kaito grit his teeth. "Please, Tantei-kun, I _can't say_."

Conan reeled back in surprise at the abrupt usage of his nickname, an endearment that hadn't been heard anywhere but in his own fantasies for far too long. "_Why_!?"

Kaito looked at him pleadingly. "All I can do is repeat myself," he said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? _Sorry_!?" Conan lashed out. "Oh, sure, you're sorry. Just, as I'm sure, you were sorry ten years ago when you vanished into thin air! Sorry you didn't leave so much as a single word to explain where the hell you'd gone or what the hell had happened! Sorry you're here now with a _wife_ and two freaking _kids_! Well, sorry to you, Kuroba, but sorry just doesn't cut it!"

Kaito flinched visibly when the boy he'd once been so close to addressed him so formally. "I know," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Conan's hands were balled up into fists and it took discernible effort to keep him from launching himself forward and hitting something. "Fine," he spat harshly, "if you 'can't say' anything, then I don't know why I bothered to come here." He twisted sharply on his heel and marched out with a last parting shout of "Fuck you!" before the door slammed closed.

Inside, Kuroba Kaito slid down onto the floor, shoulders shaking as he flung his head backwards to collide squarely with the hardwood cabinet. Even after three consecutive hits, he still didn't feel the punishment was enough. The pain in his head came nowhere close to the pain in his chest or the pain in Conan's eyes. With a broken sob, he swung his head back again, the resounding thump echoing in the empty, too empty, house.


	3. Punishment

**Crap. I was just rereading the previous chapter and noticed an error. Where Kaito was talking about where he first met Katrine, it wasn't on the Blue Birthday heist, but the Golden Eye heist.**

**Anyway, on with the story.**

--

Conan came darting out of the house at high speed and practically flew down the street, paying no mind to anyone who may have seen the tears running down his face. Damn that bastard, how could he just stand there and say he was _sorry_!? How could he even know what it meant to be sorry when he just went and did the same thing he was apologizing for! Conan choked on a sob. He'd thought Kaito had loved him. He honestly thought that to be the case. But now…

Kaito had left him, seemingly without a second thought. He'd also, somewhere along the line, come up with a wife and two kids, one of whom had to have been conceived when Kaito was still with him.

But…even with the evidence staring him in the face, he couldn't believe that Kaito had cheated on him. Kaito was ridiculously loyal, sometimes to a fault. Would he really be someone that would cheat on him? If it were anyone else, he wouldn't doubt it. After all, why would someone want Conan as he had been then? He had been nothing but a child, and a male child at that. If it were anyone else, his first assumption upon seeing the situation would've been that Kaito was seeing someone else on the side, although given that he'd apparently gone after a male child, Conan wouldn't have expected that other person to be female. But this wasn't any other person. This was Kaito and Conan _knew _he wouldn't do that. Or…well, he may not know who Kaito was after those ten years of separation, but back then…he'd definitely known Kaito back then, better than almost anyone else, and there was no way he'd do that to someone important to him. And Conan had definitely been important to him, even if he apparently wasn't important enough to keep him here.

Conan swallowed a lump in his throat as he relived the memories from so long ago. It had been one Kid heist that had changed everything. The only Kid heist the current Kid ever missed. Even now, no one knew what had happened with that. Many speculated that it had simply been a forgery and the fake had never gotten up the nerve to go through with it. Conan, however, knew that that wasn't the case. Kaito had mentioned the heist to him beforehand, teasing him about decoding the note and seeing if he could stop Kid from getting away.

When Kid hadn't shown up, Conan had been terrified. What if the snipers that had been vying for him for a while had finally gotten him? What if something had happened and he couldn't make it?

With these worries in mind, he'd left the museum and headed immediately for Ekoda. If something had happened, surely Kaito would show up sooner or later at either his mother's house or the establishment of his accomplice. Since Conan didn't know where the latter was – he and Kaito may have been dating, but that didn't mean Kid would reveal more than was safe. He _was _a thief, after all – he headed to the Kuroba residence, hoping against hope that Kaito would be there.

He had been so scared when he knocked on the door, only to have a teary Kuroba Hikaru greet him, holding a crumpled note in a shaking hand. 'Oba-san?' He'd asked in his most childish voice. 'Is Kaito-niichan there? Can I talk to him?' But Kuroba-san had shook her head, sinking to her knees before him.

'He's not here,' she'd sobbed. Conan's blood ran cold at that and he gently requested to see the letter that she was clinging to. She'd let it go easily enough, but he'd then found himself supporting the whole weight of a distraught mother who sobbed into his shoulder. He let her weight drag him to the floor as he read the letter and felt his heart break.

_Mom,_

_Sorry, but I have to go. I can't explain, but I assure you that I'm safe. Something came up and I living in Tokyo is too much of a hassle for now. I'll try to contact you sometime soon, but I can't guarantee anything._

_Love you,_

_Kaito_

Kaito had left, without telling him anything. He'd gone home later, hoping that maybe Kaito had left a note for him at the agency or even at the Kudo mansion if he were afraid of Ran finding it, but…nothing.

Kaito hadn't bothered to let him know that his lover would no longer be in Tokyo.

Conan closed his eyes against the pain. He didn't want to think about this. It was in the past, already, and thanks to Ai, he'd managed to live with the pain, even if he never forgot it. Now, though, with Kaito back, but unwilling to tell him anything…

A broken sob emerged from his throat just before he collided with a solid form, sending him tumbling back onto the hard asphalt. He blinked around tears, trying to make out what he'd run into and saw Kuroba Hikaru staring at him in shock and worry, Kuroba Katrine beside her with and equally shocked look on her face. The one child, Yuuichi, was cradled in Katrine's arms, fast asleep, but his brother, Toichi, had apparently been the one he hit, because he was sprawled on the asphalt in front of Conan, rubbing his head gingerly and staring at him.

"Conan-san?" He began with some trepidation. "A-are you…alright?"

Conan blinked, uncomprehendingly, even as Hikaru reached down and helped him up, wrapping an arm lightly around his shoulders. "What happened, Conan-kun?" She asked in concern.

He swallowed, dragging an arm across his face. "N-nothing," he muttered, voice clogged with tears. "I'm fine. Just – " He took a deep, steadying breath and attempted a feeble smile. "I'm sorry. Please, excuse me." He bowed politely before running off towards Beika, leaving the Kurobas staring in shock.

After staring for a good minute, a poorly concealed expression of worry on her face, Hikaru hurried to help her grandson to his feet. Absently, she inquired as to whether he was alright, but she didn't pay attention to any response he may have given. She knew of only one reason why Conan would be in this area and, considering she had been one of the parties involved in setting his meeting up, she knew it would've been to see her son. What on earth had Kaito done now to make such a sweet boy cry like that? Just like…

She bit her lip. Just like how he'd cried when he'd been younger. She didn't recall the incident all that well, but she knew that the night Kaito had left, Conan had shown up, worried sick about her son for whatever reason. That had been odd, she realized after the fact, because the only reason he would've been there was because he knew or suspected that something had happened to Kaito – _Kaito_, not Kid. And considering that boy was supposedly Kid's fated rival…

She shook herself. It didn't matter now, did it? Whether or not he'd known about Kaito was Kaito's business and it surely wasn't that which prompted him to leave, so…

No, what mattered now was what on earth had happened to put that sweet boy in such a state. She hurried home, hardly noticing the questions her son's family shot at her. The front door was unlocked and she swung it open, glancing around quickly, moving to the next room after the first revealed a lack of Kaitos.

When she finally found him, he was slumped against the kitchen cabinet, head tilted back and eyes closed, two prominent tracks of tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Kaito," she gasped, rushing to him. His eyes opened blearily and he tried to focus on her. The buzzing in his head and the tears in his eyes made it difficult, however, so he simply gave up trying and shut his eyes again. "Kaito, look at me. Are you alright? What happened?"

It seemed to take forever to get his mouth to comply with his thoughts and open, but he failed to make any noise, reassuring or otherwise. Vaguely, he heard more footsteps approach, but he couldn't be bothered to turn and acknowledge them.

"Something's wrong." Hikaru said, probably to Katrine or someone along those lines. "It's possible he hit his head on the cabinet. Maybe we should call someone, a doctor or an ambulance."

That got a response out of him, a tearfully painful one. He whipped his head side to side, vehemently shaking it no. The motion made him dizzy, but he didn't stop. He couldn't go to the hospital, certainly not now. They had work to do and he couldn't afford to be hindered by a medical authority. Besides, he never went to doctors anymore. They were too prying, to nosy, and he simply didn't want to deal with it. Fortunately for him, his colleagues and friends were rather skilled at stitching him up when it came to that.

"Toichi, hold Yuuichi," Katrine's voice said faintly somewhere in the background. He felt two cool hands grasp his cheeks, pulling his head forward slightly until his forehead rested against her's. "Kaito, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

A moan was the best answer he could give, his vocal cords refusing to cooperate properly.

"Wouldn't it be best for you to see a doctor, Kaito?"

"Nu-uh," he barely managed to articulate. He could feel her frown.

"If you don't want a doctor, then look at me, Kaito. We have to be sure that you're alright." Slowly, ever so slowly, he obeyed, his eyelids sliding open the smallest amount until he all he could see was a blurry tan-ish color. Probably Katrine's face, he thought hazily. It occurred to him that he should probably be worried that he couldn't get his eyes to focus on her, or anything for that matter, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. He hurt, yes, physically and emotionally, but it wasn't like he'd hit his head hard enough to give himself a concussion. It took a lot more than that to get through his hard head.

Katrine sighed, a sudden gust of wind against his face. "Let's get him to bed. Maybe that'll help." She said, pulling back to haul him up. His mother grabbed his other arm and together they lugged him down the hall.

Once he was settled, the women left, Katrine to get her sons and Hikaru to retrieve a wet towel to wash his face. She gently cleaned the tear tracks from his cheeks, repeating the motion when new tears retraced the path. He couldn't seem to stop them from flowing and had given up trying. It wasn't like his mother had never seen him cry before, anyway.

"What happened, Kaito?" She asked delicately. "We saw Edogawa Conan-kun on our way here. He was in much the same state you were, although there appeared to be no physical injuries, self-inflicted or otherwise." Her voice hardened on the last few words. She could scarcely believe her boy would do this to himself, whatever it was that he had done precisely. "What happened between you two, Kaito? I thought he was just here to talk."

Kaito was silent for a long while before he said, barely audible, "I hurt him…again." And with that, a fresh wave of tears burst forth along with a racking sob. "God, I'm terrible. I keep doing that, again and again. No wonder he hates me." He whispered brokenly.

Hikaru frowned, her eyes narrowed in worry. What on earth was going on?

--

Distraught as he was, Conan knew it would be unwise to take the bus back to Beika. He didn't want questions, didn't want people trying to comfort him when they couldn't even understand what was wrong. The inquisitive looks he was currently getting from the passing crowd were bad enough. He really didn't want to think what the other occupants of a bus would do.

Besides, walking home gave him time to think…although maybe that wasn't such a good thing. He really hated his brain right now. He didn't care what the evidence pointed to, Kaito wouldn't have cheated on him, even _said_ that he hadn't cheated on him.

But what was his word worth, really? After all, the thief just kept claiming that he 'couldn't say' anything, so, really, what assurance did he have that Kaito was telling the truth?

But…Kaito could've just avoided the subject like he did the others. He could've said that he couldn't say anything on the matter, and he _hadn't_, instead stating that he had only been with Conan. On the other hand, he _did_ say later that he 'couldn't say'.

Conan frowned. But that wasn't regarding the same matter, not really. Kaito had refused to answer questions about his 'son', yes – and just thinking that word sent a stabbing pain through his heart – but he'd been honest with Conan in that regard. He could've pulled something out of his ass and lied about it, but he _hadn't_ and didn't that mean something? Anything?

He choked back a sob. Dammit, his thoughts weren't helping him get anywhere. The only thing that would help him was refusing to talk! _Why_!? Why was Kaito so goddamned stubborn about this? Couldn't he trust Conan?

But that was just it, wasn't it? Obviously, Kaito _didn't_ trust Conan or he never would've left in the first place for Lord knows what reason. But why? What had he done to dissuade Kaito of his trustworthiness? He couldn't remember anything that would make him think that…

"Conan-kun!" Someone exclaimed. Conan looked up in surprise, making out a petite form through watery eyes. "What happened?" The familiar voice continued on, "Are you alright!?"

"Ayumi-chan," He recognized, voice thick and hoarse. "I…I dunno. Can you…can you help me get home?" He asked. He didn't really want the girl tagging along, knowing she'd want to ask questions, but Ayumi had already seen him like this and would no doubt be asking questions anyway and at least she had some tact and probably wouldn't question him while he was in this state. Hopefully, because he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to conjure up a coherent answer to anything right now.

"Okay," she said softly, warily, grasping his wrist in a gentle hold and guiding him in the correct direction.

He knew she was worried, more worried than all of the Shonen Tantei had been about him since Kaito had shown up. At the moment, he was truly thankful towards her. She provided a distraction from his thoughts and silently gave him support, even if she was clueless about what had transpired.

That was problematic, though. If there was anything any member of the Shonen Tantei hated, it was being clueless. Last time, they'd been too young to really understand and investigate what had caused Conan's depression, but now…

Now, they had an extra ten years of experience and were old enough and influential enough to get any information they may think they needed.

But really, what could they find? Back then, they'd both been paranoid as hell, taking extra care to be sure that they weren't seen together, that they didn't leave any evidence. Besides, no one outside the loop would ever suspect the Kaitou Kid and Edogawa Conan, especially as they had been back then. After all, the Kid was a ladies' man, right? There was no way he'd go for a little boy, even if that boy appeared to be more intelligent than most of the police force. Edogawa Conan was known for being one bizarre little kid, but everyone knew that he was merciless when it came to criminals. He tracked down murderers with a single-minded intensity and was even considered Kaitou Kid's one true rival because of how close he'd come to catching him. Why would anyone think that a boy like that and _Kaitou Kid_ …

No, he really didn't think they'd find anything about then, much less believe any of it. Conan was their role model, after all. He may have been a bit unorthodox in his methods – some of his strategies were downright illegal – but he was still a detective. In their minds, anything in the grey zone that he did was purely for the sake of catching those that had done something big enough to overshadow his little transgressions. Besides, he usually tried to keep the rest of them from doing much of the questionable bits, preferring that himself or Ai take the fall if they were caught.

Still, just because they couldn't find anything about ten years ago, didn't mean they couldn't come up with theories about the recent stuff. He hadn't exactly been acting discreet about any of it and they were already suspicious…they might not be able to find the truth, but they certainly wouldn't be much fun when they decided to question him.

And just because they couldn't find anything didn't mean that others couldn't. But what did he have to worry about? The ones who knew about him being Conan – Hattori and Ai – already knew quite a bit of the story, anyway. Hell, back then, he'd told Ai and Agasa everything. They'd been cautiously accepting about his association with Kaitou Kid, but when it came down to it, they didn't really care. Hattori, however…well, he knew about Kaito and he probably suspected about Kid, especially since he knew the theories Hakuba had made no effort to hide, but…well, Hattori understood him, at least a little. He might not've approve of the relationship had he known about it back then, but it hardly mattered now, did it? Besides, if Hattori did figure it out and decided to question Kaito, well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. At least it might give him a chance of getting some of the answers he so desperately needed.

While he'd been thinking absently, Ayumi had lead him all the way to 2-22 Beika-cho and knocked on the door when she noticed that Conan wasn't aware enough to do so himself. The door opened and Ai-chan and Heiji-oniisan stared at them, expressions of anticipation fading quickly into visages of worry.

Ai waved her frantically inside, pulling Conan into the living room to sit him down and take his temperature. Heiji seemed a little lost as to what he could do, but pulled out a handkerchief and offered to the boy. Conan blinked at it then up at him, dazed, before seeming to comprehend its purpose and taking it, dragging it across his eyes. "What happened, Conan? I mean, I thought we set everythin' up alright. You _did_ get a chance to talk to him, didn't you? He didn't harm you in some way, did 'e?" Hattori demanded, wilting slightly under the glare Ai gave him. Maybe he was overwhelming the kid, but hell, he was the sort that'd keep it all to himself unless they demanded explanations.

Conan glanced at Ayumi, who was giving him a confused look, no doubt wondering who they were referring to but having the sense not to question it right now. He sighed. Hattori _would_ forget that he didn't really want to advertise this to the world, which meant _not_ telling his friends if at all possible. "No, he didn't…not physically or anythin'," he hiccupped, trying to get a grasp on his sobbing. He really didn't want his friends seeing him in this state, but now that they had, he could at least try to maintain _some_ of his dignity. "I talked to him…sorta. He wouldn't say much."

Hattori cursed while Ai frowned in annoyance. She didn't say anything, however, passing him a tissue to blow his nose. He'd been sniveling rather pathetically for a while now and the gesture was much appreciated. Ayumi simply stood next to him, thoroughly confused, but clutching his hand in an effort to provide some sort of comfort.

"I just…I thought maybe he'd give me a reason, at least." Conan whispered. Ai slid her hands through his hair soothingly, her face twisted with worry in a way most of the world would never believe her capable of. "I dun wanna talk about it. Just want ta lie down." He said, his voice slightly slurred. Ai nodded, standing and helping him up. She nodded to Ayumi and Hattori, giving them the sign to back off and let her take care of it as she lugged him upstairs to his bedroom.

"It's alright, Conan," she whispered softly. "I don't know what's really going on, but somehow, we'll find the answers for you, okay?"

"Promise?" Conan asked, tears dropping from his eyelashes and a look of total hopelessness on his face.

Ai swallowed. Conan wasn't supposed to look like that, not ever. She remembered what it had been like before, when Conan had been totally unresponsive to everything in the world, and she couldn't stand for that to happen again. "I promise," she vowed. She swore she would get that bastard to help Conan-kun, no matter what she had to do. Her friend deserved to be happy after all they'd gone through, he really did. Surely, if fate were kind enough to grant someone like her with a happy life, fate would take pity on Conan and make things right…right?

--

She headed back downstairs after tucking him in. Ayumi and Hattori were still there, looking up at her expectantly. "I won't say he's okay," she sighed, "but he should be getting some rest. In the meantime…Hattori, do you know anything, anything at all that could help us get that damn bastard to explain himself. Conan's not going to improve at all until he knows and if that guy won't tell him face to face…"

"Well…you know more about what happened in the past than I do. But I might have an idea about what Kuroba's doing here now."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, Conan and I ran into him and his kid a couple of days ago and he was supposedly in some sort of meeting with this guy. It didn't really occur to me at the time what with the way Conan was actin', but the guy seemed pretty familiar…like I'd seen him somewhere recently."

Ai leveled him with a stare. "If you'd get to the point, please? Without a name, this lead crashes and dies, you realize?"

"Well, that's the thing. I dun' know a name, but I _know_ I've seen him somewhere recently. Like…maybe on the news or something?"

Ayumi cleared her throat. "I have a newspaper in my purse. It's today's addition, so I don't know if it'll do any good, but…" she shrugged and rummaged through her bag, pulling the bundle of paper out triumphantly when she found it.

Hattori snatched it from her immediately and started flipping through it. Ai sighed. "I'll turn on the news, too, just in case something pops up. It had better lead somewhere, though, Hattori, or we'll be left with nothing."

For a long while, it seemed like Hattori's dubious memory wouldn't be of any use. Haibara had even broken out the computer and made Hattori surf the news sites in hopes that something would ring a bell but no such luck until finally, he stopped on a certain article from three weeks ago. "This was the guy, I know it," Hattori declared.

Ai gave him a flat look, clearly not believing this would lead anywhere but at a loss for any alternative leads. With a sigh, she leaned over his shoulder and read the headline. "_Wealthy Businessman Founds New Political Party_? And this fat guy is the one you saw?" She indicated the picture below the headline.

"I'm sure of it. 'Say's his name is Fujimoto Jirou."

"Okay, so that's a start," she said slowly, "now we just have to figure out what the heck Kuroba is doing talking to some political newbie."

"He seems to be starting quite a sensation, though," Ayumi commented. "I heard on the news that his group is becoming really influential and they're garnering lots of followers."

"But what would Kuroba want with this guy?"


End file.
